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Show Winter is approaching quickly and so is energy assistance ity bill from each of the household's major utility suppliers. Verification or proof of all income in-come received by all members of the household during the previous calendar month. Proof of medical bills paid during dur-ing the previous calendar month if the household wants to use the medical payments as a deduction. During the 1986-87 HEAT program, prog-ram, approximately $8,913,542 was spent on client benefits for 41,819 eligible households. In addition, some $425,000 was also made available avail-able to relieve desperate crisis cir cumstances in home heating. According to HEAT Program Director, Susan Gail Larsen, during dur-ing this coming winter's HEAT program, the state expects to have about the same amount of money available for client benefits. However, it is anticipated that there will be an additional 3,000 eligible eli-gible households apply this year for a total of 45,000 approved households house-holds altogether. As a result, the average benefit will be somewhat less than last year. In addition, crisis cri-sis intervention funds will likely be reduced to about $200,000. Winter is just around the corner. And so is this season's opening of the federally funded HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Target) Program. The HEAT program was originally origin-ally authorized by Congress in July of 1981, and currently is administered adminis-tered at the federal level by the Secretary Sec-retary of Health and Human Services Ser-vices and at the state level through the State Department of Social Services. Ser-vices. The HEAT program is designed de-signed to assist eligible households meet the rising costs of home heating. For elderly or handicapped households, the HEAT program opens Thursday, Oct. 15, other applicants ap-plicants can begin applying Monday, Mon-day, Nov. 2. The program will continue con-tinue through March 3 1 , 1988 or until un-til federal funding is no longer available. avail-able. HEAT does not pay the entire fuel costs for winter. An eligible household can apply for only one HEAT payment per winter season. The amount paid depends on location, loca-tion, type of fuel used, household size and income. Any costs above the HEAT payment must be paid by the applicant. The monthly income limits for this year's HEAT program for household sizes one through six are listed below: 1 person household, $573; 2 person household, $771; 3 person household, $969; 4 person household, $ 1 , 1 67; 5 person household, house-hold, $1,365; 6 person household, $1,563. HEAT applications can be obtained at any of the local Social Services offices or at special Energy Ener-gy Assistance office locations. Clients should bring these proofs with them when they make application applica-tion for the HEAT program: Identification of some kind. Social Security cards for everyone in the household age 1 8 or older. A copy of the most recent util- |
